'TWAS THE SIXTH DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS

 [This blog post goes with Chapter 14 of the novel, The Fourteenth Quilt.]

We didn’t take any pictures of us struggling to subdue “The Beast,” a project we worked on as described in Chapter 12 of the novel. But, here we are with thirteen quilts--the final results of our Christmas cheer project for Annie’s “oldsters.” 

Or so we thought….

"Lynn", "Celia" and "Annie" at the rest home with 13 quilts

Notice the rust and navy duck quilt with the strips sewn on the diagonal which rests on Celia’s shoulder closest to Lynn. (above)  That was Lynn’s favorite quilt because, unlike Annie who favors light and cheerful colors and Celia who favors bright jewel tone colors, Lynn favors autumn colors—the kind of colors you would find in a swamp. Even though this quilt was made with the expectation that it would appeal to one of the men in the rest home, it was a woman who chose it.

SARAH & BRIAN - THE FOURTEENTH QUILT

[This post goes with Chapter 17 of the novel, The Fourteenth Quilt, by Robyn Echols.]

"Sarah" and "Brian" with their marriage document

 The marriage did take place very much as described in this chapter.



Although almost all of Sarah and Brian’s story is strictly fictional—the couple in real life on which these characters are based never told me how they met, how their courtship progressed or how they decided to marry.

 But, I was there when her mother entered the church frantically looking for the bishop. I caught the bishop in the hallway and spoke to him. I was there when the knot was tied. I was the marriage photographer.

And, yes, the quilt top I had finished the night before was there. I brought it to church to use for my Relief Society lesson that morning, having no idea at the time that it would end up being part of the decoration at the marriage of this couple.

Unfortunately, the six days before Christmas proved to be busy for me even though I thought my  calendar was fairly clear when I agreed to make this quilt. As described in The Fourteenth Quilt, I was up until late Christmas Eve finishing it. 

Fortunately, in spite of how hectic things were the day of Christmas, just before we left to enjoy Christmas with family members, I had the presence of mind to have my husband take a picture of me holding the original fourteenth quilt.

The author with the original Fourteenth Quilt

 

To learn more about the author, visit her writing blog, Robyn Echols Books by clicking HERE.

CELIA'S CAT MATS

[This post is written as a tutorial for Celia's Cat Mats as described in the novel, The Fourteenth Quilt. You can find this tutorial on page 50 of the novel.] 

(Instructions assume the reader already has some crocheting experience.)

  When trimming fabric for cutting quilt pieces or quilt backing, place the pressed fabric on the cutting board. Line up the selvages and trim using a rotary cutter so the cut selvages are a minimum of three-eighths of an inch wide. Strips may be any length as long as there is enough to tie into a square knot on both ends. A little planning ahead so the selvage strips are at least a foot long will mean less tying together later.

When trimming pressed fabric crossways on the grain to square it for cutting into quilt pieces, trim the edges wide enough so the strip is a minimum of one-half inch wide. If trimming a loose weave fabric, cut the strip slightly wider. If the fabric has been pre-washed and there are loose threads balled up on the edge, leave them in place since they will add texture to the cat mat.

Tie the strips of selvage and waste fabric together using square knots. Roll into a ball. Cats are not concerned with color-combinations, but alternating white selvage strips with color strips may make the finished mats more visibly appealing to humans.

A size J or K crochet hook works best. Some of the wider strips you will want to double over lengthwise as you crochet. Crochet a LOOSE chain stitch long enough to equal the length of a large placemat. To create the body of the mat, skip one stitch and then single-crochet loosely, catching every loop, until to the end. At the end, make one chain stitch, turn mat over and repeat the same crochet pattern.  Continue until the mat is about the size of a large placemat or small bath mat, and then finish it off. If you run out of the selvage “yarn,” knot more lengths of cut selvage and scrap strips to the end until you have enough to complete the project.

Place the mat in a small pet carrier or your cat’s favorite napping spot. Donate extra mats to your local cat shelter. Each mat will add padding and insulation from cold surfaces. The knots will provide texture to help the cats shed as they roll around on the mat.

To learn more about the author, visit her writing blog, Robyn Echols Books by clicking HERE.